New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is now caught in a political scandal, in which one of his aides ordered The Port Authority of NY and New Jersey to purposely cause traffic jams at the on-ramps to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, NJ, due to political disagreements between Governor Christie and the mayor of Fort Lee.
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But Wildstein, who has already pleaded guilty in the scheme, will testify for the feds about how he and Baroni crowed about their sleazy traffic move to Christie at the memorial event, Khanna said.
This week, the scandal is popping back into headlines as the trial of two people believed to be involved begins.
Wildstein’s response was that the kids were the children of Barbara Buono, a Democrat who ran against Christie in 2013.
Sept 19 Two former associates of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will go on trial on Monday for their alleged roles in the “Bridgegate” scandal that helped derail his presidential hopes.
There will be a parade of witnesses, ranging from his top deputies and loyalists, to Port Authority police officials, testifying under oath and cross-examined by attorneys for Baroni and Kelly, who have hinted that they will make the case that they were hardly the lone-wolf players in the scheme. Baroni and Kelly have both pleaded not guilty.
Critchley depicted Kelly as a naive, single mother of four, a low-ranking Christie staffer who took Wildstein – Christie’s political “Rottweiler” – at his word.
Kelly and Baroni’s attorneys also will present opening statements today. The pair are charged with misusing federally-funded property, wire fraud and depriving residents of their civil rights to travel freely in the town.
Christie, an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, conceded last week the bridge scandal was a factor in GOP nominee Donald Trump’s not picking him as a running mate.
He said that Wildstein had suggested to Kelly previously that the three access lanes to the bridge from Fort Lee were the result of a decades-old political deal between the town and a former New Jersey governor.
Christie’s office and attorney did not immediately return requests for comment.
The closures were Wildstein’s idea, while Kelly “instructed him to take that action, and Baroni blessed it”, Khanna told jurors.
“For four straight days Fort Lee woke up to traffic gridlock, and for four straight days, Mayor Sokolich was treated with radio silence”, Khanna said.
Baroni and Kelly contend in court filings they can’t be charged with deprivation of civil rights because there’s no clearly established constitutional right to be free from improperly created traffic. The most serious charge carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence. However, the governor has not faced charges and he has maintained he had no knowledge of the lane closures, denying any wrongdoing.
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The trial comes just over three years after what first appeared to be a small-scale problem that people in New Jersey face every day: snarled traffic on one of the world’s busiest bridges.
